Algorithms, Creative Cause both retire

[Linny]

I read last week that Flashpoint is being brought out of retirement.

This year has been very strange. Obviously Paynter nearly died and has an excuse if he never runs again, but Matz told me point blank that he disagreed with the retirement of Union Rags and it seems that several others were chewed up by the Pletcher juggernaut. I find it hard to believe that in this market there is a huge demand for most of these colts at stud.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Linny

I read last week that Flashpoint is being brought out of retirement.

This year has been very strange. Obviously Paynter nearly died and has an excuse if he never runs again, but Matz told me point blank that he disagreed with the retirement of Union Rags and it seems that several others were chewed up by the Pletcher juggernaut. I find it hard to believe that in this market there is a huge demand for most of these colts at stud.

there might not be a huge demand. but is it still more profitable for an owner for many of these compared to staying in training, and the expenses of racing? i wonder how many mares covered/stud fee makes it the better choice as far as bottom line.

[OldDog]

This was in DRF a few weeks ago

http://www.drf.com/news/injuries-tak...year-old-stars

Research into a decade’s worth of Triple Crown hopefuls and competitors shows that this crop actually has not lost a radically high number of horses before autumn. But the fact that nearly all the class’s most talented horses have fallen has invigorated discussion about the sturdiness of the modern Thoroughbred and the toll caused by the Triple Crown season.

Though not by an extreme amount, the rate of 3-year-old attrition in 2012 is on pace to be the highest in at least a decade, and the temptation is to fit the situation into what has become a common racing narrative – the demise of the Thoroughbred. Horses aren’t as tough as they used to be, this line of thinking goes. Drugs have weakened the breed. But it’s hard to pin the 2012 burnout rate on any one factor, and statistics from the last decade don’t even strongly support the idea that this is anything more than an especially unfortunate year.